Fanfiction Academy
by Angel Erin Arcturus
Summary: The pretentious Fanfiction Academy is here to teach you about many traits common to good fanfiction. Classes are done in short installments to spare you time and commitment. Your mentor this time around, Master Maple, is ready to teach you.
1. General Fanfiction Tips 1

Today, class, we're going to be learning about writing fanfiction. Fanfiction is a work produced by the fans (or haters) of a particular piece of fiction. My first piece of advice is this: don't write fanfiction about a work you hate. Invariably this will result in either a sizable chunk of hate, which will only cause pain, or a sizable chunk of funny.

Before I proceed any further, let me make one point clear. You will address me as Master. Got that? All right, moving on then…

When you want to write a story about a particular work, which is what you're probably wanting to do, start with an original idea. Don't write a bloody commentary on someone else's fanfiction. There are lots of "great ideas." Here, I'll list a few:

1. The main characters are for some reason putting around at home, doing dumb stuff. Be careful here.

2. The characters go through their original story, swearing twice every sentence and mucking everything up.

3. Write a series of short stories about the cast of the series.

4. Combine the segments of various episodes, movies, or games into one single work.

When writing a story, keep in mind _who_ the characters are. They have their own separate personalities, habits, vocabularies, and roles. Not following this rule produces a fanfiction that reads like the author is talking to themself.

Next rule: Start A New Paragraph When A Different Character Begins Speaking

I'm sure you've heard this one before. Reading a story becomes extremely tedious when you have to try to distinguish which character is saying what because everyone's sharing the same block of text. For those of you who have never read a bad fanfiction before, I've included a sample.

"_My nails are very pretty." "They're such a nice color." "I like blue for myself, but you're more suited to mahogany." "I wish my purse were that color." "Do you want to go to the mall? I'm sure they'll have one in that color."_

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best example, since all of that could have been said by one character and had about the same effect on the plot. This actually ties into another rule: Have a plot.

It is very important that you have a plot, otherwise all the characters would just be doing unimportant stuff, which is not very entertaining and can lead to the author taking the story all over the place without a clear goal or any underlying theme. It's also a good idea to have any theme _be_ underlying. If you just tell the audience that swearing is a bad thing that'll make your tongue shrivel up they'll call you an unworldly idiot and stop reading, or worse, complain.

Well, that's it for today's fanfiction class. Be sure to finish all your homework or I'll whoop your arses.


	2. Characterization Tips 1

Welcome to another session of Fanfiction Academy. Today we'll be learning about families.

Don't let this turn you off. This is an important part of writing a story. It is one of the pillars of characterization. Without a family, you're writing about an alien which it is impossible to relate to. The family generally consists of the mother and/or father, sibling(s), grandparents, and sometimes close cousins or little nieces or nephews. The parent(s) have raised, or in some cases neglected, the main character, instilling in them values and beliefs which direct their every choice.

If you decide that whatever family seen in the original book, game, film, etc. is not the family you want the protagonist to have, then there are a few basic models on which you can base your family. I've arranged them on a scale of one to six for how depressing they are.

1. Two parents and their happy child/children. Typically seen as an average household. Something terrible usually needs to happen to them to make the story serious. If the story's not serious, you'll probably have this beginning anyway.

2. Single parent and child/children. This can be a happy or unhappy arrangement. The single parent is usually either cool, irresponsible, tragic, and/or a workaholic.

3. Grandparent(s) and child/children. Usually a mostly happy life with an underlying feel of tragedy.

4. Orphan. This is an overused beginning but by no means a bad one. Except for the orphan.

5. Evil aunt/uncle/stepparent(s)/older sibling and child. Typical tragic or abusive upbringing. I absolutely hate this one. Try one of the others if possible. If you simply must have this, try to make the characters realistic in their actions.

6. Evil organization/business/charity and an enslaved load of veritable freedom fighter prospects.

As you can see, 4 and 5 are often done best with the character being a single child. If for 5 there is another child it will be either a weaker sibling or a spoiled bully. This is what I call the Dudley Effect.

Remember also that it is important for every character to have family. All the people on the hero's team, the person teaching them (I was raised by giant wolves with glowing red eyes and a Shakespeare addiction), and even the main villain should have a family in their past, even if it isn't mentioned in the story, so that you can judge their motives and morals appropriately when you write it. I'll include an example:

_The child lay on the ground, a bullet in his head. It seemed strange that there should be a hole there. Dill had been more than a brother, he had been a friend. Dave had always imagined getting married and having Dill be his best man. Without him, it didn't seem a future was possible. There wouldn't have been for Dave had Dill not taken that bullet for him. Dave never forgot Dill. And at the moment of his death , he whispered to himself, "Was that how you'd have lived? Am I forgiven?"_

It doesn't have to be that dramatic, but you can see that the little twerp had a significant role in the idiot hero's life. That about wraps it up for today. Now stop pestering me so I can finish my tea.


	3. Plot Tips 1

Today, class, we'll be learning about plots. Plots are the events, set in some semblance of an order, which cause character development and more events to occur. It's common for a person to picture what they want to do for an ending. They can imagine all the amazing things they want to put into it and tell themself "This is gonna be the best story ever" without putting any more thought into it. A story isn't just a collection of awesome kicks, explosions, kisses, and sex scenes. There has to be a beginning, middle, and end to the story.

If the story is written so that the events occur in an illogical fashion, no one will believe the story to be realistic. To make it good, you must have interesting characters to direct events and react to them, growing as they meet each new challenge. The plot progresses from the exposition to rising action to climax to falling action and resolution.

Exposition: The start of the story which introduces the main characters and sets the story in motion.

Rising Action: The portion of the story where information is revealed, characters make choices, and the hero(es) learn the skills they need.

Climax: The results of earlier choices come into effect, causing tumultuous events and changes. There can be many of these in one book, evenly scattered throughout or all in one short section.

Falling Action and Resolution: The end of the story where loose ends are tied up and the dust clears.

It is highly recommended that you have all these present in a story. Not introducing characters leaves readers confused. Without rising action, it's just a series of contrived coincidences and one Deus Ex Machina after another. If all you have is climax, then it feels much the same as only rising action and doesn't make for a story, just lots and lots of explosions. If a story is one long resolution, what you have is an epilogue. There wouldn't be much point in that, as it takes all the suspense out of the story.

Before the lesson goes any further, I'll explain what a Deus Ex Machina is. It is when an until now impossible to predict event happens. A good Deus Ex Machina should be plausible, unexpected, and is best used never. If you can't find another way out of the plot hole you've trodden into, this is one of the few acceptable ways to eat your way out of it. The reason I say that you eat your way out of a plot hole is because plot holes are particularly unpleasant to readers and writers. Finding how to fix them is difficult and the patch is obvious. Avoid them.

Allow me to return to my original point: DON'T START A STORY WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT YOUR PLOT WILL BE! If you can't think of how you're going to connect the events of your story, it's best to write down your ideas, then come up with a starting point. Better yet, try writing a first chapter, then build from there. You can even play a game with a friend by doing a chapter a week and seeing who can write the best story in a certain number of chapters with only a little idea of where they want to direct the plot. This exercise can inspire creativity. Exercises not to be confused with exorcises. Don't try experiencing exorcism. Trust me, it's not pleasant.


	4. Point of View

This lesson is about point of view. This is one of the most basic ways to classify a writing style. The point of view is the perspective from which the story is told. It determines how we perceive the events. From a drunk's perspective, the world reels. From a nearby observer's point of view, the drunk appears terribly unsteady. From a dick's point of view, the drunk looks like a prime target to have his wallet stolen.

First Person: From this point of view, the events are revealed through the eyes and mind of a single character. These tend to use I's a lot.

Second Person: In this perspective, the story is being addressed to the reader. Do you suppose I need to give an example of this to you?

Third Person: In a story with this, the story is told by a narrator who announces all that is occurring. This classification can be divided into three more:

-Omniscient: This pretty much means the narrator has godlike knowledge of what the characters are thinking and doing and tells whatever he/she feels like to the reader.

-Subjective: This is first person with a narrator to relate the story instead of the person whose point of view is being followed.

-Objective: Nothing but what is seen and heard by the narrator is told to the reader. This seems rather like a newspaper report, except it doesn't have much interference from opinion.

There are right ways to write a certain story and there are wrong ways. There's a reason no one's ever written a murder-suspense from the perspective of the killer. Oh, wait, a few of those have been written. Now, on the other hand, absolutely no book has ever been written in the third person objective view about a revolutionary movement – What? Someone wrote one of those? Shoot…

Anyways, let's get back on task. It is necessary that you choose to write your story from a perspective that you are familiar with and suits the kind of story you're writing. Perspective helps set the rate at which information is divulged and the reader can be fooled or enlightened by the way you write it.

There's not much more that can be said about point of view, except that you should use whatever style you choose consistently. I suppose now would be a good time for an example. Here's one for first person:

_I walked first down the beach, then up the mountain, then through the meadow, picking flowers as I went. They were for my grand-mama. To be sure my course was correct, I checked my map. Now, a little bit of a delay getting to a place doesn't bother me none, but Grand-mama has always been a stickler for punctuality._

That may have been a little backwoods, but that's okay. For a better example of first person, read The Swiss Family Robinson. For second person, keep reading this. For third person, try a couple of the stories accessible from the author's page. Whisker Tales and Harry Potter and the Magnificent Farce are both good examples.


	5. Love 1

I want you all to be attentive, because today's lesson is going to be…

Love!

That's right, this lesson is going to be about developing good love interests. The love interest is the character who, obviously, enters a romance with the hero.

First off is the character type:

Princess type- Named after the role Princess Peach had in the Super Mario Bros. game, this love interest does nothing but get kidnapped, championed by the hero, and can be a goal.

Comrade type- The love interest who fights alongside the hero.

Waiting At Home type- The loved one who is the hero's escape from the life they dislike, a reward for the end of their labors.

Protector type- The lover who is the shield of the protagonist, protecting them from danger.

Rival type- The hero's competition.

Reluctant type- A love interest who starts out disliking the hero.

Of course, the hero and lover could have a reversed role. Indeed, there are many ways to write a love interest, and I can't simply write a comprehensive list of all the different kinds. The best way of writing a love story is to create a unique love interest and hero. You can't just come up with one single best formula for a romance. And everyone has their own idea of what the best is. Be original, give us something we can enjoy for its own merits. The last piece of advice I'll give you is to not get too down about others' comments on what you've done, but be ready to make changes when someone gives you constructive criticism and keep it realistic.

Oh, right… We can't finish the lesson without an example, can we?

_He was the handsomest, most mysterious boy in the class. Edward Cullen…_

Shoot. That's bad…

_Romeo, seeing his love, apparently dead, could do nothing but take his sword, turn it to his own heart, and—_

Dammit… Not very romantic, is it?

_His guard sidled over and removed her helmet. After running her fingers through her hair a few times, she lifted her chainmail shirt over her head and loosened her braces…_

Wait, this is romance, not biblio erotica, right? Let's try this again.

_The sweet young librarian leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. For the first time in a long, long time, Julius felt at peace. Maybe it was time to give love a chance again. Only time would tell…_

I guess that's workable. Yeah, something like that. A bit of a backstory to go into there, maybe some confrontation and character development, and a somewhat unusual combination of details. Unique. Go for it.


	6. Finishing Up

Summer vacation is over now, students. Welcome back to another semester of fanfiction academy. We ran out of time last year to get to this lesson, so I'll just have to start the year off with it. Any idea what it is? Keeping you in suspense is the one perk this job has, now that I no longer receive health benefits. Is it perhaps going to be on coming up with a good title? Maybe an advisory to restrict your use of needlessly extravagant or archaic terms to pieces which only the most bibliophilic of scholars would bother to peruse, do you think? No, this lesson will be on how to write a good ending.

The best part about fanfiction is that you can give it the ending you want. You can't be told how it will end and when you can end it by your publisher. A significant number of books that are in the public spotlight or have a large following will often be drug out longer and longer in an attempt to earn more money. The only way professional authors can end a series is by killing the protagonist (and probably about half the supporting roles, too), give them their happy ending and kids, or let the villains nuke the world. Granted, none of these is a definite way of ending a series, as there are millions of ways to get around them.

The fanfiction author has much more freedom. Say they decided that they were tired of a story, tired of the plot, tired of the characters, and just plain tired of all the negative feedback. What can they do? Write a chapter where the protagonist fails, dies, the nuke goes off, whatever. Heck, they may even win because the main baddie decides that they have left things up to their worms for long enough and comes out to fight one-on-one. The main point is: the fanfic author has control. What they say goes. Screw the criticism you're going to get for dropping it out of nowhere and dropping the other unresolved plot lines and shortening a story that could have been long enough to overload the server.

It might be wise to point out what each kind of ending is. Go nuts.

The Happy Ending: The hero(in) has slain the villain, rescued the girl (or dude), given their cola advert, and saved the world. Now they settle down, have kids, go to White Castle, or do whatever it is that lets them live happily ever after.

The Tragic Ending: The protag' is dead, or as good as. The love interest is dead. The villain may or may not have lost, but things have ended badly for the cast of heroes. That's not a typo. I do mean 'heroes' not 'Heroes.'

The Ewok Ending: Whatever happens, the story has ended on a rather zany note that can be mainly happy, sad, or angry, but really leaves you thinking, "What the hell? This is weird. Okay. Sure."

The Bitter End: The hero has lost or become a traitor. The villain has succeeded in their nefarious plot and the whole world is suffering the consequences of the hero's failure.

The Good Bad Ending: The villain has won. But what's this? Everyone is happy? Turns out that the villain's plan worked out well for the world in the end. The hero may or may not be in a good situation after this, but the hero losing has resulted in a happy ending.

The Screw It Ending: The author doesn't really care to finish the story and decides just to end it where it is with a little note to the readers saying they honestly don't care anymore.

However you choose to end your story, keep one thing in mind: It's your bloody story. You can end it however you want. But it is your responsibility to ensure that your readers get an end.

Your homework tonight is to read the next five chapters of My Immortal and write a 30,000 word essay detailing the many failings of the author in presenting a story which is entertaining and presents the characters in a believable and sympathetic manner.


	7. Clarity

Please turn in your homework. Thank you. Alright, I'm going to start off today's lesson with a helpful tip for those of you who want to get as many views as possible. There are three rules:

1: Make an eye-catching summary. Use key words and names to attract the eyes of interested parties, especially those who are on the lookout for specific pairings or story types.

B: Write short chapters/installments. There are a few people who fish for longer, better written stories, but for the most part people will just check into something that looks promising and the shorter it is, the more likely they are to move to the next chapter.

i: Don't ask for reviews. You certainly shouldn't beg for them. It comes off as weak and pathetic.

Now, on with the lesson. The topic will be: clarity. What do I mean by this? Allow me to clarify. These days everyone has to find some way to set their story apart. One way that is often tried is to create a complex situation. This may be done with politics, love triangles, or writing a story that doesn't follow events chronologically. For a perfect example of the latter, try watching LOST. Stories that rely on such methods are often unable to stand as a good story in their own right.

Don't get me wrong, stories really do need to be different and have their own life. They need to draw a reader in. You don't have to throw the manual out the window; you just have to make it yours. There is a place for stories with impossible logic bombs blowing the audience's minds out of their skulls, but there is a limit to the number which can be written before it's overdone.

For romance, finding out whether the main couple shares true love is often the entire plot of the story. While this has been overdone, it is also practically the only plot that works. The only other that comes to mind is finding a way to be together when kept apart, like in Romeo and Juliet.

For action, it's really quite simple. The main character has to grow and become better than they were at the beginning. A protagonist who is the most powerful person in the world from the very beginning wouldn't make for a very interesting story. Unless it's an epic. It is much more difficult to create a successful action story in written form than with visual media. You can't distract with big explosions and powerful actors. The success is entirely dependent upon the quality of the writing.

For comedy, a story can be nutty and make no sense or try to be entirely witty and dry. The third option is to be as dirty or violent as possible and make most of its laughs through sheer discomfort. A very well-written story should have a combination of wit, absurdity, and relatable experience. It also needs to be delivered at a jaunty pace, neither too slow nor too fast.

This subject is far too vast to sum up in one little lesson, which is why I'll try to make the most basic advice from all this one sentence long.

"Don't make the bloody thing too complicated for the intended audience to understand!"

If you're writing for children, keep it simple and to the point. Have lots of fun and light. For more advanced readers, be clever and make schemes with twists and surprises. For sluts and shut-ins, lots of sex. Got it? Good, now go away.


	8. The Most Important Lesson

I will now reveal to you the most important lesson of all. Everything that came before this was merely preparation. Those lessons are insignificant compared to the almighty significance of this most incredible significant lesson. Which, by the way, is important. The lesson is- Oh yeah! Almost forgot- I've finished grading your homework, and I have to say… I am disappointed! Only two person bothered to do it! Of the two, only one met the word limit. So, I will include the entirety of their assignment right here as an example to you all:

_This sucks. _x17567.

That's right, I bothered to do the division. It was a 35,134 word essay. "PASS!" is what I would like to say, but, unfortunately, the student forgot to put his or her name on the paper. So you all failed. But that's okay, it's not like any of you are paying to take this class. But I will warn you that if you don't practice, you probably won't do too well on the exam.

Now where was I? Oh, yes. The most important lesson of all: make me care what happens.

If the main character is an irredeemable prick, I'll probably pray that he falls down an open manhole or something. On the other hand, I hope that sweet little Alice will eventually get out of Wonderland, maybe learning a bit about the world in the process. Perhaps the most important thing to have in your story is a sympathetic, relatable protagonist. Unless the entire point of it is being able to laugh at the terrible things that happen to a tremendous a-hole. Know what? That's your homework this week. Write a short story, 200 words or less, about a prick who has misfortune befall him or her.

That's all for today, take care! What? What do you mean class isn't over? Shoot, I still have loads of time left. Hmm... okay, I've got it. I'll tell you all about an important influence upon the author's world: censorship.

In professional writing careers, what you write will be changed by editors and censors so that it doesn't offend some backwards nut who spends their free time trying to find ways to take the fun out of things.

Therefore, I shall now list the words which are more likely to get a film rated R than full-frontal nudity.

Fuck, asshole, tits, shit, shitfuck, damn, Goddamn, c***, fuckfuckfuck, dick, piss, cock, and Fuuuuuuuck!

My, wasn't that fun. Let's hope the dean doesn't cancel the class because of this. Now remember, these words should only be used in T or M rated fanfiction. And don't use them too often. An otherwise great story can be ruined just by overusing swearwords. Sorry, students, but I've decided to give you _more_ homework. It's good to be the teacher. I'd also like you to add into the comments any words I missed, for the benefit of your classmates. Thank you, and have a nice day!


	9. Beginning A Story

I must confess that my life was recently turned on its head. I now have a completely different view of the world. Everything seems so much brighter, better defined. My world will never look the same again. And I owe it all to corrective lenses.

With that out of the way, we can begin the lesson. Let's check your homework… ... … Hmm? What's this? No one wrote their 200 word story and RiceballNinja appears to be the only one to have done the second piece of homework. And it looks pretty darn good. I want this in your notes, all of you: Pussy. It is very important. Got that? Alright! Today's topic is the beginning of the story.

It is incredibly important that your fanfiction begin in an interesting way. Who wants to read a story which begins with a very dull in-depth description of an accountant's average day? Not I. The story should begin with something that matches up with the genrte which is likely to make someone keep reading. It is not necessary to do this for the beginning of every single chapter, but it helps get the reader to stick around. I'd say that it should be done for the beginning of every story arc, even if the excitement is only done as a lead-in to the main storyline that you're trying to get them hooked on. This is used to great effect in the Simpsons and Family Guy, and these shows are great examples to take a look at for tips.

For the romance, especially the tragic romance, a great way to kick the story off is with a dramatic scene which matches the emotional feel that you want to give the story. This can be done by having the main character observe young lovers, daydream, or remember something from his/her past.

In an action story, the best way to go is with a thrilling fight or chase. Be sure to include a little information about the characters so we get a feel for the character in addition to the rush we want to feel when we read a good action.

Comedic stories should start out in a comedic way. That doesn't mean you should start it off with a knock-knock joke. Though I won't stop you. The laughter doesn't have to be in the first sentence or even paragraph, but the reader shouldn't be left waiting too long for the joke or, worse yet, be given a lame one.

The important thing about an opening chapter is that it gives an accurate portrayal of what we can expect from the story; a little info about who the characters are, what they do, and their motivation for it; and it must make the reader want to find out what's next. You can't force the reader to keep going physically or with promises that it will get better. You need to give them a reason to have faith.

With that, we're done for the week. I have no new assignments for you, but you can still earn some credit by doing some of the previously assigned homework. And never forget: "Never give up! Never stop fighting! Never give to charity!"


	10. Videogame Fanfiction

So today I was looking back on all my past accomplishments and I suddenly realized something: I never accomplished anything. I suddenly felt a strong desire to have another weekly lesson after a month of avoiding it so that I could feel like my life has meaning. Ooh, isn't that wonderful!

Anyway, today's lesson is going to be about videogame fanfiction. Why? Because up until now this class has been mostly about fanfiction based on books. I know what you're thinking…

…

Yeah, I am full of shit.

What you're thinking is: "You're kidding right? That's stupid. Who doesn't know how to make a fanfiction based on a videogame. All it is is cleverly parodying game mechanics and bad writing." So you think you know everything, huh? So I'll skip all the easy stuff that everybody knows and move onto the juicy giblets. (I know you're chuckling about giblets. Well, stop. It's not that funny. In the same way that using "chutney" instead of an expletive isn't funny.)

There's more to making a decent videogame fanfiction without making it a parody. Parodies are very easy and fun to make, so I recommend it to everyone. It is, however, entirely possible to make other kinds which are great. What makes these great are more to do with the genre itself that the original videogame. So it is entirely pointless for me to explain how to write an action story for a Barbie game or a romance story for Medal of Honor.

When you make the jump from game to story, there is a very important point you must realize: it's not a game anymore and therefore, no longer interactive. It has suddenly become more of a novel, short story, or let's play than an actual game. So it's all about the writing. Story is key, but more important are the characters. Sure, you can describe a single guy taking out a military base with nothing more lethal than his chest hair, but it won't be the same as doing it in the game, and suddenly we care more about what the main character's internal struggle is and the twists and turns caused by less-important-and-therefore-less-likely-to-survive characters who make it possible for him or her to succeed. Or fail, if you're a dick.

My second tip is to get the writing style right for your audience. If you make a fanfiction out of Brain Age (I don't know how, but let's say you did), then you can through in all the pretentious words you want. On the hand, if your audience likes games where you blow shit up, then you should probably refrain from using words with more than five syllables or unusual-and-difficult-to-pronounce letter clusters. Do I have to explain why?!

A depressingly high percentage of the multitude of videogame fanfiction writers favor the explosion and death variety of storytelling. The kind that doesn't have much story and a lot of explosions. That is good for a game; we don't need a story to play, but we do need the play to give us a reason to turn on the console. If not, you can read a book or do something similarly constructive. The other largest kind of fanfiction for videogames is one-shot romance, and this is by no means a bad route to take. The only problem with this is that there is already so much out there that even if your story is messianic in quality, it will still be drowned in an ocean of so much drivel. Good luck.

I think that's just about it. I might have another lesson about videogame fanfiction in the future or I might not. It really depends mostly on whether or not I think I need to make one to do justice to the subject. Any questions or comments? No? Good, now let me play my visual novel in peace!


	11. The NEW Top Ten List- Sort Of

So I had just finished the last class when I thought of a clever subject for the next lesson. "A top ten list! That's a brilliant idea!" The only problem was that I had no idea what to make it a top ten list of.

Best fanfiction? Too broad.

Best steampunk fanfiction? Too niche.

Best lemon? Fuck no. Or, yes? Fuck, I don't like lemons either way. Except with a meat dish or in my drink. Wait, that came out wrong! It sounds a bit confused now, but I mean it in a culinary sense, not in a pervy way! I hate the word "pervy." It's the bargain bin word for "perverted." Come to think of it, I don't much like the word "perverted" either. Not in the modern sense anyway. The original meaning I rather like. Have I gone off-topic? I can't even tell anymore.

After a lot of thought and backtracking to the original subject, I finally decided on the subject of my top ten list. Then I decided that everyone always makes their lists be a top ten (Except when it's a top 100 list, in which case, screw you. I just skip the first 90 and move to the top ten.), so I decided to be different and made it a top nine list. Unfortunately, I didn't have nine different fics to put here. So there are eight. Just stick one you wrote in the number nine slot. It'll make you feel better, really. It made me feel better.

Here is my top 8 list for the Best Ever Examples of Good Fanfiction. Ever.

8. "Astoria's Guide to Slytherin Guys" by OurLoveIsForever. A Harry Potter fanfic.

7. "A Hero" by Celebony. A Harry Potter fanfic.

6. "Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi" by Bleedman. A Powerpuff Girls fancomic.

5. Ambrant Arandel's fics.

4. "The Hallowed Ed" by Spikender. An Ed, Edd, & Eddy fanfic.

3. "No Daughter of Mine" by Blue Dragon. A Wheel of Time fanfic.

2. "Adventures of the Fandom Heartthrobs" by Amara Anon. An Inuyasha, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter crossover.

1. To hell with it, I can't choose. There isn't anything which I can put in the number one place without the possibility of something supplanting it. To this end, With Strings Attached can hold the number 1 spot until a better one comes along. I give it two years at most before I have to make another bloody list.

Want to know what I'm really waiting for? A musical about a bunch deaf people! I apologize to anyone I might have offended, but I really think it's a terribly funny idea. If anyone who attends this class knows how to make Youtube videos, you have my permission to run with that idea under the condition that you send me a link so I can watch it.

Consider that your homework.


	12. Cover Images

Okay, class can begin. Sorry I'm late, it's just that my roommate is a bit of a jerk. That means you, Erin.

So I know that it has been a while since we last had a class, but that was only because no one turned in the homework I assigned. That is all water under the bridge, of course. I'm a lazy bastard and probably wouldn't bother grading it anyway.

On to today's topic: Cover Images.

You may be wondering what this has to do with writing fanfiction. The truth is that it has little to do with writing fanfiction and more to do with getting people to read it. That is why books, games, and movies have illustrated covers. You may write the best story in the known universe, but no one is going to read it if you don't give them any reason to be interested. A good cover image goes a long way toward gaining readers.

The titles, characters, and length specific to a story are also draws, of course, but they are all just more text on a page filled with text. To really draw someone's eye, nothing works better than a cool picture. Don't include anything that gives the story away, but make sure it will draw attention and get people interested. That said, it should be relevant. A search page full of pictures of men and women in skimpy outfits or throwing nuclear devices will just blend, like a succession of like photos and, presumably, like stories. Choose something that tells what your story is and what to expect, but don't give us all the details.

It would be lovely if I could provide you with a few examples, but as we are on fanfictionnet, I doubt that any I upload would actually appear. But what about the cover image for this story, you ask? Why, that is an excellent point! Take a look at it and ask yourself if it properly describes what can be expected in this story or if it seems completely irrelevant or boring. Learn from it and all the others. Then, once you know what you want (and don't want) you can make one of your own. Or just steal one from online; that's what Erin likes to do.

You don't have to be an expert with photoshop or anything like that. Heck, even just using paint can turn out well. I even know a few people who have made good advertisement art with just text. Words are an art unto themselves, after all.

Try not to make it anything illegal or against site rules and it will probably not cause you too much trouble, but if you want to succeed, make it relevant, interesting, and original, just like your story.

That's it for today. I expect you all to come to class next time with a good cover image for your story.


End file.
